Tweetalong with Sun City’s Water Matters Group member John Steele

This week we joined the Sun City Water Matters Group for a tweetalong to learn about the group and to see a day in the life of a Water Matters member in Georgetown.

Water Matters Group is made up of volunteer residents of Sun City focused on water conservation and water-saving education and is a program of the Neighborhood Representative Organization in Sun City. The group was created in 2014 and now has 84 water ambassadors, 26 water evaluators, and 6 leadership team members.

Members meet twice a month and produce newsletters and articles for the “Sun Rays” magazine, maintain a website for the group, and host a Water Matters Town Hall in March.

“We must conserve drinking water, there is no question about that,” Water Matters Group member John Schideler said. “The message must get out to all residents. Neighborhoods must recognize the importance of conservation and then enforce rules and regulations of conservation.”

We joined Water Ambassador John Steele on the morning of July 27 for a few hours to see what a day in the life of a Water Matters ambassador was like. During our time together we helped adjust residents’ irrigation controllers to be set for the right watering days according to the City’s one-day watering schedule. We also helped identify issues with sprinkler heads, found broken irrigation pipes, and helped a neighbor plan for yard maintenance to help with drainage issues.

Steele said he approaches each situation with the goal to educate homeowners about how to properly care for their yards and conserve water while doing so. He said it is important to make sure your home’s irrigation system is set to the correct settings and to check for broken pipes or sprinkler heads, both of which will help you conserve water and decrease your water bills.

“Water Matters isn’t just about sprinkler regulation,” Steele said. “We’re about education and figuring out how best to teach residents about their water use and what’s best for their lawns.”

Steele said the Water Matters Group also takes time to make sure homeowners know about the City’s many water conservation rebates. You can find your watering schedule, information about water rebates, and more at water.georgetown.org.

You can relive the day with us here.

Here are some highlights from our day: